Looking for sakura season on rainy days.

It takes long time for spring to come 

Surrounded by mountains, weather in Morioka changes really often

We had snow fall several days ago and having lots of rain 

All swan flew back to back to north 

Waiting for sakura season to come 

Before raining 

Kobushi

Finally Kobushi started to bloom
It opens up in February in the place that I lived before

Mizubashou (White skunk cabbage) 

I feel like it is pulling me inside

Suisenn (Daffodils)
Strong wind and rain drug them down

Empty shell of Ajisai (Hydrangea) 

It dried up after winter 

Dried hydrangea made strange view 

Hina Matsuri

Hina Matsuri (in the moon calender) 

Hina Matsuri is an annual festival which is cerebrated on third of March

 We wish good health of girl throughout the year

and display dolls, drink sake and eat sushi

Big set of dolls in an old house 

Another way of displaying
Hanging down from the ceiling

Explaining her doll collections

A crane doll looking outside 

Girls

Ladies are looking  inside the house to see dolls

A girl is eating snacks next to a lady who is selling rice cakes

First platform  is Emperor and Empress
Second platform is three court ladies
Third platform is five man musicians 

New place -breath of the spring-

I moved to Iwate, which located 550km north of Tokyo 

Snow remains in some part and everything is slow compare to where I lived

 But breath of the spring never make me disappointed 

"Fukinotou": butterbur sprout
This plant cracks between snow and comes up

One day afternoon 

There is a pond called "Takamatsu ike" near my house
It is a wintering point of swans but number of swans decreases as spring gets close 

Iwate is surrounded by mountains but hardly they can be seen 

Pussy willow 

There are lots of apple orchards in Iwate
Farmers started to prepare after the long winter 

Fukinotou is bitter but tasty
We cook with miso and eat with rice 

Spring stream 

Swans came to asked me for food

Several days ago, there were lots of swans
Sad that I cannot meet until winter

Sakura (rainy days)

It has been raining for several days. 

Since it was cold, cherry blossoms stay on the trees for long time 

Foggy morning 

Hardly tell the border between cherry blossoms and fog 

Cemetery 

A cherry blossom tree in the foggy morning 

My elementary school is 140 years old.
The school is surrounded by big and old cherry blossom trees  

A huge cherry blossom tree

The longer flowers stay on the tree, the darker flowers' color become

Climbing up a mound to see the cherry blossom trees 

A big cherry blossom tree on the top of the hill (mound)